Verbal scores matter just as much as the Quant scores. Although, everyone seems to be able to do well on sentence correction, the CR and RC are not so simple to improve upon. But, I have a way that will instantly boost your verbal score.
So what is it?
Well, first of all, you need to understand that consecutive right answers on the GMAT help your score, whereas consecutive wrong answers can drop your score by as much as 50 points! So, we need to be careful about how to guess on the GMAT too. Some people like to guess the 3-4 questions in a row because of timing issues, but that does not help you at all. Instead, you may try alternating, i.e. guessing one, solving the next, and so on.
Anyways, now that you know that you could be punished for consecutive wrong answers, let us talk about the verbal sub-section that is all about consecutive questions--- that's right... it's the Reading Comprehension sub-section. You read a passage and then you answer 3 to 4 questions based upon that passage. This should be easy, considering that you can see the passage in front of your eyes all the while. But, that's not what happens, is it?
IF you comprehend badly, you are likely to get 2-3 questions wrong, and that means that a single passage can cost you as much as 30 points on the GMAT! But, worry not... there is a solution. Here is an approach that will save you all that headache and boost your score instantly:
1. Read Naturally: What does that mean? Well, when you read an article in the NY Times, do you try to memorize or scrutinize every detail? Of course not. You read the whole article as a single entity. And you get the gist, and nothing more (usually). That's exactly how you should read the RC passage. Some techniques ask you to make notes and all that, but you DON'T have time on the real test to take notes, and you shouldn't. Just get the gist.
2. Be aware of directions, topic and tone: In a single passage, the author may provide one side of the argument, and then refute that side in the next paragraph. You need to be aware about that. Again, its not something that requires you to re-read the passage! Just, go through the passage, pausing anytime you run into words like, "But", "However", "Therefore", "Consequently", "Additionally", "Subsequently", etc. Also, if you get the gist, you should really be able to tell yourself what the topic of the passage might be. Tone is also important because, you need to know whether the author is skeptical or in agreement with the topic of the passage.
3. Answer the question: Be aware of the different kinds of RC related questions. Not all questions are as simple as they look. You need to know how to modify your approach to the various kinds of questions. And answer what is really being asked, and not what you think is being asked. Be aware of the various traps that the test makers love to set up in your path to GMAT glory.
That's it. This is the magical formula that raised my verbal score by 5 points. Of course, I haven't seen too many people score above 45, they say its the maximum one can score. But, if you're in the 30s and want to get into the 40s, RC will turbo charge your verbal performance for sure.
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If you liked my post, you can always check out my kindle book here
So what is it?
Well, first of all, you need to understand that consecutive right answers on the GMAT help your score, whereas consecutive wrong answers can drop your score by as much as 50 points! So, we need to be careful about how to guess on the GMAT too. Some people like to guess the 3-4 questions in a row because of timing issues, but that does not help you at all. Instead, you may try alternating, i.e. guessing one, solving the next, and so on.
Anyways, now that you know that you could be punished for consecutive wrong answers, let us talk about the verbal sub-section that is all about consecutive questions--- that's right... it's the Reading Comprehension sub-section. You read a passage and then you answer 3 to 4 questions based upon that passage. This should be easy, considering that you can see the passage in front of your eyes all the while. But, that's not what happens, is it?
IF you comprehend badly, you are likely to get 2-3 questions wrong, and that means that a single passage can cost you as much as 30 points on the GMAT! But, worry not... there is a solution. Here is an approach that will save you all that headache and boost your score instantly:
1. Read Naturally: What does that mean? Well, when you read an article in the NY Times, do you try to memorize or scrutinize every detail? Of course not. You read the whole article as a single entity. And you get the gist, and nothing more (usually). That's exactly how you should read the RC passage. Some techniques ask you to make notes and all that, but you DON'T have time on the real test to take notes, and you shouldn't. Just get the gist.
2. Be aware of directions, topic and tone: In a single passage, the author may provide one side of the argument, and then refute that side in the next paragraph. You need to be aware about that. Again, its not something that requires you to re-read the passage! Just, go through the passage, pausing anytime you run into words like, "But", "However", "Therefore", "Consequently", "Additionally", "Subsequently", etc. Also, if you get the gist, you should really be able to tell yourself what the topic of the passage might be. Tone is also important because, you need to know whether the author is skeptical or in agreement with the topic of the passage.
3. Answer the question: Be aware of the different kinds of RC related questions. Not all questions are as simple as they look. You need to know how to modify your approach to the various kinds of questions. And answer what is really being asked, and not what you think is being asked. Be aware of the various traps that the test makers love to set up in your path to GMAT glory.
That's it. This is the magical formula that raised my verbal score by 5 points. Of course, I haven't seen too many people score above 45, they say its the maximum one can score. But, if you're in the 30s and want to get into the 40s, RC will turbo charge your verbal performance for sure.
=================================================
If you liked my post, you can always check out my kindle book here
I think that the GMAT is very important because a good score can get you into a good business program like this. I think getting a jump on the GMAT as soon as possible is something that everyone should consider
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